Chattanooga man indicted on murder charge in beating, strangulation death

The Hamilton County grand jury has indicted a 47-year-old Chattanooga man on a first-degree murder charge for the beating and strangulation death of a 42-year-old woman.

Police say Michael Crumpton beat and strangled Victoria Godwin on June 7 in her Emma Wheeler public housing apartment.

Crumpton is scheduled for his first criminal court appearance on this charge before Judge Rebecca Stern on Aug. 5. He remains in the Hamilton County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

A medical examiner's report showed blunt force trauma and strangulation as the cause of death. Six bruises on Godwin's head, one the size of a grapefruit, showed the extent of her injuries.

Crumpton, an ex-con, served more than 17 years in federal prison on weapons-related charges.

In April he was arrested on aggravated domestic assault charges after, a police report says he beat his wife. The case was dismissed when she did not attend the hearing, according to Times Free Press archives.